Car-wheel.



w ST ME H W R APPLICATION FILE D OCT. 31, 1907.

AROHIBALD J. ROBERTSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-HEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 1mg. 11, 1908.

Application filed October 31, 1907. Serial No. 399,981.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARGHIBALD J. Ron- ERTSON, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Wheels, of which the fiillowing is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in that class 0 wheelswhich are particularly designed a d adapted for use on carsof variouskinds, but with slight changes, is a -iplicable for use on othervehicles; and has or its principal object to provide a strong, reliableand eil'icient wheel, the parts of which shall be of such constructionas to attain the greatest simplicity and facility in its manufacture,yet so as to afford great strength at the places required, and whichwheel shall comprise means for keeping the weight of the car or vehiclewhile subjected to a pulling or pushing force, slightly forward of thewheelbase with respect to the direction of motion, thus utilizing thesaid. weight to increase the effectiveness oi the propelling force ofthe car applied at the axle of the wheel.

Various other objects and important advantages of the invention will bedisclosed in the subjoined description and explanation.

The invention consists in certain novel features and principles of theconstruction,

combination and arrangement of the several parts of the improved wheel,as will be hereinai'ter fully set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawing, which serves to illustrate theinvention:Figurc l is an outer iace view of the wheel embodying theinvention, showing the parts in their normal positions. Fig. .3 is acentral vertical sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1

looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and Fig. 2% is anenlarged sectional view, showing a modilication in the manneroi"securing the. annular plate lo the body portion ol' the wheel, andillustrating in crossserliou the peculiar and novel lorm ol' theperipheral groove in the body part of the wheel, as well as the 'l'ormol' the rotatable rim which operates in said groove.-

Like numerals ol' reference. rel'or lo corresponding parts throughoutthe dilloreut views ol' the drawing.

The body or inner rotating element of the wheel is designated by thereference numeral 5, and is provided with a central opening 6 for thereception of the axle upon which it may beanounted in any well knownway. In order to strengthen said portion and at the same time lessen itsweight and economize in. the amount of material used, it is provided onits inner face with a series of radially eXtending ribs 7 and a numberof openings 8 arranged in a circle around the hub 9 or central 1portionof said part, as is clearly shown in igg. 1 of the drawing. The outersurface of the body or inner portion 5 of the wheel, by which is meantthat surface which is presented outwardly from between the rails of arailway trac is formed with an annular recess or cutaway part 10, whichextends from the periphery of the portion 5 inwardly to a suitabledistance, and terminates with a shoulder 11 at its inner portion.

The portion 5 its periphery with a groove 12 to receive a peglion of therim or outer rotatable element 13 of the wheel, and said roove and thetongue 14 or that portion of the rim 13 which lits and o erates in thegroove, are formed of a ieculinr construction in cross-section, as willbe seen and readily understood by reference to the arrows 15, 16 and 17in Fig. 3 of the drawing, which arrows indicate the arcs on which therounded portions of the groove. and tongue 14 of the rim are struck orformed, so as to all'ord' a greater bearing surface and greater strengthin the direction oithe lateral thrust of the rim 13 against the bodyport iou,which thrust is mainly in the direction indicated by the arrow16 and substantially in a direction in alinement with the radial ribs 7as will be readily understood. (losely litted in the annular recess 10of the inner or body portion 5 is an annular plate 19, which has itsinner peri )hery resting against the shoulder 11 oi said recess. Thisplate may be secured in position by means of rivets ill extended throughsuitable openings in the plate 18 and the body portion 5 near the groove1; therein, or it may be secured in position by means of screw-bolts 20and nuts ii on the inner ends of said bolts, which are also passedthrough suitable openings in the plate 18 and body portion 5 located asabove stated. in order to enable the plate la to he more readily removedand also to prevent any possibility of warping or otherbody portion .5,and that the inner periphery. of the tongue 14 is formed to correspond.

with the cross-sectionally curved groove 12, so that said groovedportionv of the body 5 will contact with the cross-seetionally curvedinner eriphery of the tongue 14 of the rim.

, It w' befurther observed and understood that the annular plate 18forms a portion of one of the walls of the groove 12, while theperipheral portion 22 on the inner face of the body portion 5 forms theother wall of said groove, from the Walls of the tongue at very small orinfinitesimal spaces. The rim or outer rotatable element 13 looselysurrounds the body or inner portion 5 of the wheel, and has 1 on itsperiphery a flange 23 which is also rounded in cross-section, as shown,and is for the pur ose of co-acting with the track rail. It wil beunderstood that as the outer circumference of the inner portion 5 isless than the inner circumference of the rim 13, a certain amount ofplay will be provided for the inner portion with respect to the outerportion, and that the former "will, therefore, e permitted to travelupon the inner periphery of the latter, and thatthe only resting placefor the body or inner portion 5 will be on the inner periphery of thetongue 14 of the rim or outer part, and when power is applied to propelthe vehicle the inner part 5 will be moved in advance of the verticalcenter of the outer part, whereby the load will be thrown forward of thewheel base, thus utilizing the weight of the vehicle to assist its ownpropulsion. WVhile power is ap lied, the load or weight of the vehiclewi 1 always be carried at an off-center point from the ground or railcontact.

weight of the load, the inner one of said eleinents supporting theaxleand the weight upon the other element, and the latter providing thewhcelbase with respect to the nor element from the axle.

which walls are separated 1' element and In Fig. 1 .of the drawing, thevertical line: 22 represents the center of the wheel-base track. It isalso apparent that the curved portion of the peripheral roove in theinnerelement will contact wit the, correspondingly curved tread portionor tongue 14 of the outer element or rim 13, but that the peripheries ofthe walls of the groove, which are the plate 18 and Ipart 22, will noter1pherally contact with t e rim or outer e ement, thus reducing thefriction incident to the contact ofthe inner\andouter parts. By

providing the inner element with the annuar'reeess 10 to receive theannular plate 18, it is apparent that the strain will be borne by theinner element and also that when it is desired to remove the rim 13 forrepairs, or so that a new one can be laced in its stead, the same may bedone wit out removing the in- Other advantages attained by the peculiarconstruction above set forth of the rim 13 are, that it can be moreeasily rolled into such a shape or form and that it permits the placingof thecontact point between the inner perilphery ofthe rim and the outerperiphery of t e inner element 5 further from the tread of the outerrim, which is the track rail. The construction and arran ement of theinner and outer elements and t e annular plate 18 also prevents dirt andother material from enterin the groove 12, as is obvious. As the wheecomprises two independently rotating elements, one of which travels orbears upon the other, it is evident that a desirable and beneficialreduction and distribution of the friction between the rails and wheels,especially when rounding a curve, will be effected.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. In a Wheel, the combination with an inner rotating element having inone of its sur faces anannular recess extending fromits peripheryinwardly and also a peripheral groove, of an annular plate secured tosaid element in the said recess thereof by means of .bolts extendedtransversely through said plate inwardly from the groove in said elementand forming one of the vertical walls of the groove of the innerelement, andan independently-rotatable rim support ing said elem e ntagainst the periphery of its groove.

2. In a wheel, the combination with an inner rotating element havinginone'of its surfaces an annular recess extending from its peripheryinwardly and. also a cross-sectionally curved peripheral groove, of anannular plate secured to therefor and forming one of the vertical wallsof the groove of the inner element, and

an independently-rotatable rim having a cross-Sectionally rounded tonguesupporting said element against the perlpher of its groove, the curvedportions of sair groove and tongue being so formed as to present thesaid element in the said recess 7 with the radial ribs thereof.

3. In a whee1,the combination with an inner rotating element having inone of its sur faces an-annular recess extending from its eripherinwardly and also a cross-section ly curve ripheral groove, of anannular plate detaeha 1y secured to said element in the said recesstherefor, and an independentl rotatable rim having a cross-sectional yrounded tongue supporting said element against the periphery of itsgroove and provided with a rounded flange andbody portion, the "curvedportions of said groove and E tongue-being so formed as to present themain lateral thrust of the rim upwardlyand inwardly of the wheel insubstantial alinement with the radial ribs thereof.

AROHIBALD J. ROBERTSON.

. Witnesses? CHAS. G. TILLMAN, M. A. NYMAR.

